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John Yoo vs Jon Stewart

"Take Down" FAIL

So Jon Stewart invited John Yoo – who is promoting his new book; Crisis and Command – to the Daily Show and proceeded, using his own inimitable mix of smirking, mockery, sarcasm and outrage, to "take down" the torture-justifying fascist and show him for the thoroughly evil henchman of the Bush Regime he was, leaving him a sputtering sweating wreck begging for mercy, confessing to his myriad crimes and tearfully apologizing to the world before heading back to the green room to hang himself …

Well, that was what every liberal breathlessly waiting for the show fantasized was going to happen. One can only imagine their excitement as the minutes ticked by; the popcorn popped, post-slaughter champagne placed in the ice-bucket, clothes loosened, flies unzipped …

Only to watch John Yoo cheerfully wipe the floor with Jon Stewart. Over at the American Prospect, they’re wailing and gnashing their teeth at Jon Stewart’s "failure". Adam Serwer whines;

… Stewart failed to make Yoo look like he had done anything wrong. In fact, he made him look entirely reasonable.

Maybe … just maybe, it could be that Yoo was actually a knowledgeable and reasonable public servant who did a difficult job in a difficult time as best he could? Amazing how the side that prides itself on its "tolerance" and "open-mindedness" consistently demonstrates the opposite isn’t it?

Anyway, after getting his dirty old clock looking as good as new thanks to his affable guest, who actually turned out to prefer the role of predator over that of his assigned role as prey, Jon Stewart had to issue an apology to his dejected and angry fan base for his "failure. "

I must confess, I’m angry too.

I’m finally watching a member of the Bush Administration, even if a somewhat junior (even if very consequential) one, standing up to a critic and vigorously defending the Administration’s decisions and policies without any quarter given and letting nothing slide. And confidently pounding on his opponent.

And I’m wondering; what happened two, three, fours years ago? Why couldn’t the Bush Administration have done this when it would have made a difference in public opinion? When it could have saved us some House and Senate seats in 2006 and 2008? When it could have saved itself?

As much as I continue to have a soft spot for George W. Bush, his failure to defend himself and his decisions even as his poll numbers and credibility along with that of his party crashed, is the one thing Republicans should never forgive him for.